


A Little Travel is Good for the Soul

by cptxrogers



Series: Holiday Exchange Community Gifts [1]
Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fix-It, Fluff, M/M, Multiverse Shenanigans, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-08-31 14:52:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8582662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cptxrogers/pseuds/cptxrogers
Summary: Tony was not expecting angry, argumentative versions of himself and Steve to appear in his living room one day. But now they're here, he's sure that he and Steve can help them work through their issues together.MCU Steve and Tony travel to the Avengers Assemble universe and meet their counterparts.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cap Iron Man Community](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Cap+Iron+Man+Community).



> For the 2016 Holiday Exchange Community Gifts prompt:  
> Post CACW Steve/Tony are transported to the AA 'verse. Multiverse CW fix-it.

“Uhh, honey, you might want to come in here,” Tony called over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off the two figures who had just popped into existence in the middle of the Avengers living room. “We have guests.”

The two newcomers barely glanced at Tony, their gazes locked on each other. They both looked slightly confused, but mostly extremely angry.

“Sure thing, sugar plum,” Steve's voice carried from the kitchen. “Be right there.”

The sound snapped the two out of their deep glaring session, and they both turned to face Tony. He gasped as he looked at himself, and Steve. Or at least, a version of him and Steve. This Tony was shorter than he was, and his goatee branched out in a slope towards his chin, unlike Tony's neat square of facial hair. There were deep bags beneath his brown eyes, and he looked profoundly  _tired_. Tony felt a surge of sympathy just from looking at him.

As Steve, his Steve, entered the living room, the other Steve's jaw dropped. The other Steve had dirty blond hair a shade darker than his Steve's, but he had the same square jaw and broad shoulders. This other Steve looked so young though; even the way he stood was stiff and formal. Tony was used to seeing Steve so comfortable and confident in his movements.

His Steve came over to stand next to him and Tony felt some of the tension ebb out of him with the comforting presence at his side. He offered a broad grin to the pair. “So... alternate universe counterparts, is that it? Here's hoping you're not evil."

"Uhh, I guess," the other Tony squinted at him. "You're Tony Stark, that's Steve Rogers, this is Stark Tower, right?"

"Right you are," Tony said, "except that it's Avengers Tower now. Ever since the team moved in, it's been a home for all of us... didn't seem right to keep the name.” He felt his Steve lean into him warmly.

Other Steve was gawping but made an effort to pull himself together. "We're in a parallel dimension?" he asked, looking around thoughtfully. "Is that even possible?"

His Steve raised an eyebrow. "Sure it is. I would have thought that you'd be used to the impossible by now, what with your day job and all."

Tony turned to other Tony, figuring he'd be the man to talk to for answers. "I'm going to need a bit more information from you if we're going to work this out, even with the combined power of two geniuses. Which dimension was it that you wandered in from?"

Other Tony was growing increasingly irritated, however. "I don't know what to tell you. Where we're from is similar to this place in some ways, different in others. It's one universe among many. It's not like they're numbered," he snapped.

Tony was relieved to note that their guests might be bad tempered, but they didn't seem to have any malicious intent. He nodded decisively and used the holo tablet beside him to pull up an graph of recent energy fluctuations in the room. His fingers flicked through the data as he located the energy spike that represented the appearance of their doppelgangers. "Here we go, looks like a multiverse breach, let me just check-"

As he worked, the other Tony leaned over. "Wait a minute," he said, curiosity momentarily overriding his irritation as he reached towards the gold band on Tony's finger. “That's a wedding ring. You're _married_?” He sounded honestly shocked.

“Of course,” Tony said with a small smile to his Steve. “What, are you guys not?”

The other Steve's faced dropped as he took in his Steve's matching ring. “You're married _to each other_?”

His Steve clamped his arm around him, both possessive and protective. “Yes,” he enunciated, speaking dangerously slowly. “And if you think that you could find a better husband in all the world than Tony Stark, then you are deeply mistaken.” He glared fiercely at the other Steve, who was visibly struggling with the situation.

The other Tony wasn't doing much better: he kept swallowing in a way that suggested he was trying not to be sick. “Uhh, look, let's not get into this now. We need to find a way to get home. That's what we should focus on. There are some... important events happening.” He looked down at his feet.

The other Steve puffed up. “Here we go again with the secret agendas, Stark. Should have known you wouldn't even trust yourself.”

“Secrets?” the other Tony suddenly exploded. “After what you kept from me, you're going to start lecturing about secrets, as if you were so innocent-”

“And after what you _did_ ,” other Steve snapped back. “If you expect me to apologize for protecting my friend, you should know damn well I won't-”

“ _Enough_ ,” his Steve yelled. Apparently the Captain America Command Voice was effective in every universe, because the two of them both shut their mouths immediately. “What is _wrong_ with you two? Dear lord, how are you supposed lead a team of heroes when you can't even be civil to each other? If it were up to me, I'd throw you both in boot camp for a month, have you learn some discipline. This is just embarrassing.”

They both looked chastened. Other Tony was back to looking at his feet and other Steve kept puffing up and then deflating.

Tony leaned over and patted other Tony on the shoulder. He couldn't help but feel for him. “Hey, come on now. It'll be okay. We'll get you home eventually, but while you're here we can help you work this out.”

The other Tony looked at him blankly. “It's a bit late for that.”

“Try us. What happened between you two?” he indicated the other Steve and Tony, and they way that they had both retreated to stand as far away from each other as possible.

“We had a -” the other Tony gulped. “- falling out. It started with a strategical disagreement, and then it got our of hand, and we split the team. We... fought each other -” the other Steve winced. “- It was pretty bad.”

His Steve sighed. “Yeah, that sounds familiar.”

The other Steve furrowed his brow. “That happened to you two as well? How did you solve it?”

His Steve looked at his counterpart strangely. “We talked about it,” he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Made some compromises. Saved each other's lives a few times. And then we forgave each other and moved on.”

“And had mindblowing makeup sex, can't forget the makeup sex,” Tony chimed in with a wink. The other Tony was looking like he might be sick again.

“That's really it?” Other Steve was looking intently at his Steve. “Just... talking? That's how you fixed everything?” he sounded, for the first time since he'd arrived here, slightly hopeful.

“No, not just talking,” his Steve said solemnly. “Listening too. You have to hear the other person, really hear them, think about what they're saying. Don't immediately try to win them round to your side. I know what you're like, Steve, how badly you want to help everyone and make them safe. I'm sure we have that in common across every universe. But you have to let other people have their own views and make their own decisions. You can't decide for them.”

“And you,” Tony said, turning to his counterpart, who was looking anywhere except for at Steve. “My man, you gotta let people in. I know you think it's safer to keep everyone at arm's length so they won't get sucked into your pain. But it's not that, it's the opposite of that. You gotta let people help you, and you gotta speak up about your needs. Isolation doesn't contain the pain, it multiplies it. You've gotta find a way to deal with all that pain, buddy.”

The other Tony nodded, almost imperceptibly.

“Tony?” other Steve was looking at other Tony like he was a grenade that could go off at any moment. “I think we should talk this out. I'd like to hear your side. I promise I'll try to listen this time.”

Skittishly, other Tony looked back at him. “I can do that. For what it's worth, Steve, I am sorry.”

“I'm sorry too, Tony. I want to fix this.” Other Steve held his hand out uncertainly, and other Tony reached out. As they clasped hands, there was a fizzing pop and they both disappeared from the room.

“Well gosh,” his Steve said, a small smile on his lips. “Was that a-”

“-spontaneous interdimensional pocket wormhole?” Tony finished his sentence. “Indeed it was. At least that solved the getting-them-home problem.”

“And the rest of their problems?” Steve asked, slipping his arm around Tony's waist. “Do you think they'll be able to deal with their issues?”

“I have a feeling,” Tony said, leaning up to kiss Steve, “they'll find a way to work it out.”

**Author's Note:**

> When will all Marvel universes be as sweet and good and pure as AA, that is what I want to know.
> 
> If you'd like to share this fic, it has a tumblr post [here](http://cptxrogers.tumblr.com/post/155590220344/a-little-travel-is-good-for-the-soul)!


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